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Kevin Durant Sends 8-Word Message After NBA Draft Lottery

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated May 12, 2025 11:07 PM ET

The Brooklyn Nets had a 37.2 percent chance at a top-four pick and a nine percent chance at the top spot heading into Monday's NBA Draft Lottery. However, they got stuck with the No. 8 overall pick and won't have a chance to get the likes of Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper.

The Dallas Mavericks won the lottery despite having just an 8.5 percent chance at the top four and a 1.8 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs got the No. 2 pick despite having a 26.3 percent chance of getting in the top four.

Former Nets and current Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant shared his thoughts on social media after the fact.

"Tanking must be really stressful on a organization," the two-time NBA champion said.

With the lottery system, all non-playoff teams have a chance to draw the No. 1 pick, which theoretically disincentivizes teams from losing on purpose. However, the worst squad is guaranteed a top-five pick, the second-worst a top-six pick, and so on.

Tanking must be really stressful on a organization.
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 13, 2025

For example, the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets were the three worst teams this season, but got the No. 5, No. 6, and No. 4 picks, respectively. The Mavericks got the top choice despite making the Play-In Tournament, and the Spurs got the No. 2 pick despite only having the eighth-worst record.

Furthermore, the Philadelphia 76ers got the No. 3 pick despite having the fifth-worst record.

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft will be on June 25 at 8:00 PM EST, and the second round will be the following day.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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